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Visiden Visidane


Is that a terrorist?!?

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Dec
4th
2016

Upheavology: Arcanotropolis · 1:44pm Dec 4th, 2016

Arcanotropolis got a mere throwaway mention in Reckoning. Again, this is background information for those interested in such things.


Arcanotropolis

History

After fleeing the influence of the Blasphemous Rift, the early unicorns settled along the northwestern mountain ranges still referred to as the Crystalline Heights, named after their pristine, icy caps. The icy mountains were selected not just for their heights, which mirrored the mountaintops the unicorns emerged from, but also because dragons were less inclined to settle in the more northern mountains thus avoiding frequent encounters. What would later become Arcanotropolis started as a fortified stone structure for their leaders surrounded by the homes of servants and protectors. This grew into a palace as the unicorns estsblished a monarchy and, thus, the Unicorn Kingdom, followed by growth into a large city also called the Unicorn Kingdom or simply the Capital.

The Unicorn Kingdom suffered the most and the earliest during the coming of Oceanus's rogue enforcers. The "windigos" as the unicorns called them, were attracted by the concentration of magical power and thus battered the unprepared city with abyssal power. Half the unicorn population died while the rest fled to the earth pony burrows.

The Unicorn Kingdom remained as ruins throughout the founding of the Everlasting Kingdom as Princess Platinum declared her new city atop Mount Unicornia as the new unicorn homeland. Only a small group of pilgrims led by Blade Gleam made some meager attempt to rebuild the ruins. When the rebellions against the Everlasting Kingdom broke out, the unicorn rebels dug into the ruins, using them as headquarters until Lexarius led them to victory.

Proper restorations and additions began during the Golden Age of Equestria, creating Arcanotropolis and taking back its place as the center of unicorn culture in the Barrier Lands at least.

Demographics

70% unicorn
20% pegasus
10% earth pony

Architecture

As is common for large unicorn settlements, Arcanotropolis's tall, tapering, white stone spires dominate its cityscape. Though delicate in appearance, most are magically insulated. These are the older buildings, though. Newer structures have taken on a more practical approach with wood and physical insulation. The cobblestone streets are wide, clearly designed with carriages in mind, and many date back to pre-Golden Age times. Restored statues of Unicorn Kingdom monarchs are also a frequent sight along with public fountains and large, stained glass windows.

Resources

While water is available as ice melt and underground streams, Arcanotropolis relies heavily on the various earth pony settlements amidst the valleys beneath the Crystalline Heights for food, lumber, and skilled laborers, exchanging various ores and gems from their many gem mines as well as spellcasting services. Arcanotropolis also exports Dragonspine Grass, mountain flowers, spell books/scrolls, explosives, and other arcane products. It is also the only stable source of mana batteries thanks to the Mana Crystal Refinery.

Security

The Restored Arcane Knights, led by the Arcane Mirror, serve as the local guard, boasting an all-unicorn garrison with a balanced focus on physical combat and spellcasting prowess. Recruits are drawn primarily from the Arcanis Atheneum. To preserve order, unauthorized spellcasting beyond simple telekinesis in public is illegal, punishable by strict and heavy fines. The knights are particularly wary of Enchantment spells, utilizing special sensors to detect and trace the presence of charms, compulsions, and the very rare mind control. Those guilty of using such spells are subjected to horn removal and exile from the city. The Equestrian Legion also maintains an outpost to serve as a recruiting and training station, although legionnaires avoid involving themselves in domestic matters.

Government

As with all cities, Arcanotropolis is governed by an elected mayor and various lower officials. Where it differs with other cities is the great deal of influence of the heads of the Arcanis Atheneum. Though the great academy officially maintains a separation from the local government, the reality is that the mayor does not get to do anything without the approval of Atheneum's Mage Council, and the Council does not act on any situation without a majority vote among its members.

Places of Interest

The Arcanis Atheneum - where the Unicorn Kingdom's royal palace once stood is now the sprawling academy of the Arcanis Atheneum, the largest and most powerful institution for unicorn mage learning. It was originally founded by Lexarius during the early years of the Golden Age as a repository of unicorn spellcasting knowledge and has grown since then. Unicorns from all over the Barrier Lands constantly vie for a spot in the prestigious school. It provides unicorn magi to all the fronts of the Barrier Lands. Though highly effective, these magi are often snooty and look down on non-Atheneum trained unicorns.

The Atheneum is divided into seven official schools of magic. The heads of each school, simply referred to as Horns, comprise the Mage Council. Each student enrolled must pick one school to major in, henceforth becoming a member of that school, and a minimum of one minor in another school. These schools are:

Abjuration School - this school has a very small number of core members, though nearly every student minors in it. Those that don't, as its Horn often boasts, die very early in their career as Abjuration involves most protective spells such as magical barriers against hostile spells and armoring spells to weaken physical blows. Abjurations also deal with dispelling and anti-magic; crucial spells in dealing with enemy spellcasters such as cobrahns, wolven shamans, and enemy unicorns.

Conjuration School - Conjuration is such a broad school that it is further divided into subschools, though membership is average at best. Summoning conjurations deal with transporting objects from one place to another. Most students minor in Conjuration purely for the benefit of teleporting, which is an application of summoning conjurations. Creation conjurations craft temporary objects of varying degrees of usefulness from stone walls to briefly block off the enemy to a supply of weapons for emergency uses. Healing is also a subschool of Conjuration, but most lore on the subject has been lost over time.

Divination School - Diviners, as members of this school are called, are seldom recruited as front-line fighters in any of the legions. Instead, their services are valued as reconnaissance agents, detectives, spies, and other sensitive work where information is highly important thanks to their detection spells, remote viewing, and negation of illusions. They are particularly valued in the south, where stealth is a common tactic as such the school enjoys a good number of members, especially those uncomfortable in groups. For all its focus on discovering the truth, however, Divination School is notorious for the highest incidences of cheating during written exams.

Enchantment School - most known for having the least number of members and the intense scrutiny upon it, Enchantment School nevertheless commands a great deal of respect. Its Horn often says that the initiation into the school involves losing, at least, three quarters of one's friends. As Enchantment deals with powerful, mind-affecting spells in the form of charms and compulsions, spells that serve as grounds for losing one's horn if cast in public, its members are often restricted to theories, with ocassional volunteers or prisoners.

Evocation School - easily the most popular and populated school, Evocation boasts the most well-known spells in the Barrier Lands. While many struggle to identify a Dimensional Anchor or a Teleportation Circle, even the dullest pony knows a Fireball or Lightning Bolt on sight, and every unicorn knows one evocation in the form of telekinesis. Thanks to the school's size, the Evocation Horn holds tremendous influence. Students often joke that the Evocation Horn's vote during Mage Councils counts for two.

Illusion School - while Illusion is often scrutinized as heavily as Enchantment, the school enjoys a high number of members, largely due to the natural flair for showponyship demonstrated by most illusionists. Illusionists are highly sought after in the west as the innate magic resistance of the ursans count for little when it comes to deception whether it's glamers to camouflage allied troops or figments to create decoys or inflate the number of ponies seemingly prepared to fight. Less popular spells in Illusion school involves phantasms as these cross into Enchantment territory. Few illusionists admit to knowing these spells, though lying is a popular sport in the school.

Transmutation School - a favored school by unicorns seeking to balance physical prowess with magical augmentation. Transmutation school is the only school with a gym built into its facilities. Part of its popularity is also due to the Prince's frequent use of transmutation spells, whether to crush foes with his suddenly giant hooves, transforming one's foothold into a morass of magma, or becoming a cloud of iron sand to blast the enemy's hide off. While Enchantment poses severe penalties, the Arcane Knights are more frequently found investigating in Transmutation school as there is no shortage of transmuters trying to turn pebbles into bits.

Necromancy School - there is no official Necromancy School, though, rumors have persisted that it exists somewhere in the Atheneum as a shadowy cabal led by its Horn, Sass Thyme. While old archeological records show that a unicorn named Sass Thyme existed during the age of the Unicorn Kingdom, most of the Atheneum considers such stories as rubbish. Very few necromancies exist within the Atheneum, mostly in the form of lesser life tap spells used by by unicorns for emergencies and the spells used to refine mana crystals into mana batteries

The Magic Arena - across the Atheneum stands the restored arena once used by the Unicorn Kingdom to test would-be Arcane Knights in single combat with the King's Mirror as well as for staging public executions. This massive, circular arena is capable of holding Arcanotropolis's population and now hosts a variety of events; from Illusionist Chess, to Telekinetic Wrestling. Its most popular event, however, is the annual Mage Battle Tournament; a no-spells-barred single combat tournament attended by unicorns all over the Barrier Lands.

The Mana Crystal Refinery - better known by its informal name as "The Bloody Circle", the refinery is a large, circular patch of mineral-rich earth and crushed rock, a hundred feet in diameter, found beneath the Arcanis Atheneum. Here, mana crystals are harvested and refined into valuable mana batteries. As mana crystals form when the blood of magically gifted creatures soak into the soil, the Atheneum frequently soaks the refinery with unicorn blood; all provided by volunteers, of course. Harvests are annual, and provide a modest amount of mana batteries. It is common tradition among the unicorns to make, at least, one pilgrimage to Arcanotropolis, and donate no less than a pint of blood to the Bloody Circle. Indeed, this tradition even reaches the north and south of Equestria. Rumors tell of captive cobrahns and wolven shamans being taken to the Bloody Circle to be bled dry, but actual cases have not been observed.

Access

As it is nestled on a massive plateau on the Crystalline Heights, access to Arcanotropolis is difficult. Narrow, winding roads provide means for ground bound travel. Pegasus flight is an option, but blizzards often hit the city in unpredictable times, and many pegasus bones do indeed litter the slopes of the mountain range. A few Summoning Conjuration arrays exist at the base of the mountains, but its unicorn operators charge exorbitant amounts of bits and can only transport a few ponies at a time with minimal baggage. The city does have a couple of war balloon ports for air access.

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Comments ( 3 )

Keep em coming...Also War Balloons? Lol, didn't they have the Telegraph before the reunification? How the hell could they possibly just have balloons? Or is Chosen engine design superior to Barrier Lands? I'm not even sure if the Barrier Lands had efficient steam power or not.

Also. How the hell would a war balloon even work? What? Drop rocks on the enemy? It's not like they have cannon technology...well they do have those little fire bomb pouches, I guess those would work for destroying siege emplacements.

Keep this coming

Very enjoyable explanation of the magical schools used in the story.
Call me simple but Evocation is definitely the way to go, as nothing is cooler than the Evocation Array teams. The again the Illusionist school sounds legit as well, but that's because Nightcanter does it in style.

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